HomeExchange Reviews: Is It Worth It for Airbnb Hosts?

HomeExchange is a good home swap service with strong reviews: 4.7 out of 5 on Trustpilot from about 37,200 reviews when we checked in October 2026. At $235 a year, it is worth it if you swap the home you live in, take long trips or travel with family. If you are an Airbnb host who wants empty rental nights to pay for short trips, a host-only network like Hostshare fits better.

What is HomeExchange and how does it work?

HomeExchange is a membership site where people lend each other their homes. Its terms ban charging members rent.

HomeExchange says it has over 600,000 homes in 155 countries and over 300,000 members. Love Home Swap is part of it now: lovehomeswap.com says it "has joined HomeExchange's community."

There are two ways to swap:

Reciprocal. You stay at their place and they stay at yours, on the same dates or different ones.
GuestPoints. You host someone and earn points, then spend them at any home open to points.

How much does HomeExchange cost?

HomeExchange costs $235 a year in the US for unlimited exchanges. It is annual only. Signing up, listing your home and messaging members are free, and you pay when you finalize your first exchange.

HomeExchange charges nothing per stay. Two costs can still come up:

Cleaning. A host may ask for a checkout cleaning fee. HomeExchange says it must be listed up front and paid on arrival, in cash or by transfer. Hosts can't charge to prepare the home before you arrive.
Deposit. HomeExchange holds $500 on the guest's card. It is charged only if the host claims damage.

New members get welcome GuestPoints: 50 for creating an account, 750 for completing a listing and 500 when they first pay. HomeExchange says the 1,300 points cover about a week away.

If you find no exchange as a guest in year one, HomeExchange gives you year two free. It has strict rules, like sending at least 40 exchange messages in your first three months.

How do HomeExchange GuestPoints work?

Host a member whose home you don't want to visit, and they give you GuestPoints for each night. You spend them at other members' homes later.

HomeExchange sets each home's points per night from its beds, its distance to tourist sites and its amenities. You can raise that number by up to 30 points. In HomeExchange's own example, a home worth 150 points a night earns 300 points for two nights, enough for three nights at a home worth 100.

For hosts, the catch is what that number leaves out. HomeExchange says GuestPoints "are not a virtual representation of the value of your home on the rental or property market." By default, a peak Saturday earns the same points as a slow Tuesday.

You can only spend points while your membership is active. If you are short, HomeExchange's terms let you buy the missing points by card.

Is HomeExchange safe for hosts?

Members verify their ID with a selfie, plus email, phone and home address, before they can finalize an exchange. For US members, HomeExchange lists these guarantees:

A $500 deposit hold on the guest's card for minor damage.
Up to $1,000,000 for damage to your home.
Up to $100,000 for damage to or theft of your contents.
Claims must be filed within 10 days of checkout.

Read the fine print, though. HomeExchange says its guarantees are not insurance, and every member must carry home or renters insurance. It asks hosts to take structural damage over $5,000 to their own insurer first.

Its how it works page also says HomeExchange may activate the $1,000,000 guarantee at its discretion. If your rental carries a short-term rental insurance policy, ask your insurer how it treats a swap guest who pays nothing.

If a host cancels, HomeExchange helps the guest find another home. If it can't, it repays costs with receipts, up to $120 a night and $1,800 per exchange.

What do HomeExchange reviews say?

We read HomeExchange's house swap reviews on Trustpilot. HomeExchange scores 4.7 out of 5 there from about 37,200 reviews (checked October 13, 2026), and most are five stars.

The low-star reviews we read repeat three themes:

Requests that get declined or go unanswered.
Doubts about how GuestPoints are valued.
Slow help when a damage claim or cancellation goes wrong.

HomeExchange says 99.7% of its exchanges go smoothly.

Where HomeExchange is better

Credit where due. HomeExchange is the better pick here:

Reach. HomeExchange says it has 600,000+ homes in 155 countries. Hostshare is smaller and host-only.
Long stays. HomeExchange puts no limit on how long a swap lasts. Hostshare stays top out at 7 nights.
Primary homes and families. HomeExchange is built around lending the home you live in while you're away. Whole homes suit families on school-holiday trips.
Flexible ways to swap. Trade homes directly with no points, or spend earned GuestPoints, which don't expire.
One flat fee. After $235 a year, HomeExchange charges nothing per stay. Hostshare charges a small service fee on each booking.
Bigger headline cover. HomeExchange's home damage guarantee goes up to $1,000,000. Hostshare's damage protection goes up to $50,000.

Where Hostshare fits better for hosts

Hostshare is a host-only travel network built for homes that run as short-term rentals. Here is how it works for hosts:

Every guest is a host. Each guest has a verified listing of their own and a stay history you can review. Reviews go both ways.
You share only empty nights. You pick the nights your place would sit empty. Block out up to 200 nights a year for peak weekends, holidays and events.
Your listing stays live on Airbnb. Calendars sync by iCal from Airbnb, Vrbo or any other provider, and Hospitable connects directly. HomeExchange's help center describes a calendar you set by hand.
Earnings follow your listing. How many travel nights a shared night earns depends on your listing's value and local demand. One earned night books one night at a member home, with no nightly rate.
Cleaning is paid through Hostshare. The guest pays your cleaning fee, and it is passed to you in full.
Booking is instant. On HomeExchange, every stay starts as a request the host must approve.
Free to join. The Starter plan is free with no credit card, and new hosts start with 3 nights. The annual plans (Pro and Pro+) add nights and fee credits up front for a one-year share commitment. See pricing.

Per stay, a Hostshare traveler pays the host's cleaning fee plus a small service fee based on the value of the nights booked. Damage protection by Truvi is built into that fee: up to $50,000, with no security deposit.

HomeExchange vs Hostshare: side by side

Facts below are as of October 2026, from each company's own site.

	HomeExchange	Hostshare
Who can join	Adults who own or rent a primary or second home	Hosts with proof of the right to host each listing (listed as host or co-host on Airbnb, or a document)
Cost to join	Free to list. $235 a year to finalize exchanges	Free, no credit card (Starter plan). Other plans on the pricing page
How a stay is paid for	A direct swap, or GuestPoints earned by hosting	Travel nights earned when members book your shared nights
What you pay per stay	Nothing to HomeExchange. Maybe a checkout cleaning fee, paid to the host on arrival	The host's cleaning fee plus a small service fee. No nightly rate
Protection	$500 deposit hold, then up to $1,000,000 for home damage and $100,000 for contents (US). Not insurance	Truvi damage protection on every booking, up to $50,000. No security deposit
Verification	ID with selfie, email, phone and home address	Government ID with selfie match, phone and email, proof of the right to host, admin review of each listing
Booking	Request, host pre-approves, guest finalizes	Instant
Calendar	Set by hand	iCal sync from any provider. Hospitable connects directly
Max stay	No limit	7 nights. Book up to 6 months ahead
Best for	Families, long trips, primary homes	Hosts who want empty nights to pay for short trips

Who should pick which?

Is HomeExchange worth it? For your own home and long trips, yes. For your rental's empty nights, it is a clumsy fit.

Pick HomeExchange if you:

Want trips longer than a week.
Will lend the home you live in, or a second home you use yourself.
Travel with kids during school holidays.
Want the widest choice of countries.
Don't mind messaging, waiting on approvals and planning ahead.

Pick Hostshare if you:

Run a short-term rental and want its empty nights to pay for trips.
Want every guest to be a verified host with a listing of their own.
Want your Airbnb or Vrbo calendar to stay in charge.
Like short trips you can book instantly.
Want to start without an annual fee.

You can also use both: HomeExchange for the family home and long summer swaps, Hostshare for your rental's empty nights. For more options, see Hostshare vs Kindred and how Airbnb host swaps work.

FAQ

Is HomeExchange legit?

Yes. It verifies each member's ID and address before they can finalize an exchange, and it holds a $500 deposit on every guest's card. Trustpilot shows 4.7 out of 5 from about 37,200 reviews (October 2026).

How much does HomeExchange cost per year?

$235 a year in the US, for unlimited exchanges. Signing up and listing your home are free until you finalize your first exchange.

Can I list my Airbnb rental on HomeExchange?

HomeExchange accepts any permanent home you have the right to offer, including second homes. But its terms say no account may be created for professional or commercial purposes, and members can't rent to each other.

Is HomeExchange worth it for Airbnb hosts?

For your own home and long trips, often yes. For turning empty rental nights into trips, it is a weak fit: points don't reflect what your nights rent for, the calendar is set by hand and cleaning fees are settled in person.

Do HomeExchange GuestPoints expire?

Points you earn by hosting don't expire, but you need an active membership to use them. Welcome points for creating an account and a listing can expire if you don't join within 3 months.

What is the difference between HomeExchange and Hostshare?

HomeExchange is open to any homeowner or renter, costs $235 a year and has no stay limit. Hostshare is host-only and free to join: you earn travel nights when members book your empty nights, then pay the cleaning fee plus a small service fee per stay, up to 7 nights.

Want the details? Read how Hostshare works and see pricing for every plan.

Start Traveling. Free to join, no credit card.